Exercising device



Sept. 6, 1960 w. GOODWIN EXERCISING DEVICE Filed May 6, 1958 nub-E 1N VEN TDR. WALTER GOODWIN HIS ATTOHNEX United States Patent EXERCISING DEVICE Walter Goodwin, 50 E. 96th St., New York, NY.

Filed May '6, 1958, Ser. No. 733,362

' 3 Claims. or. 211- This invention relates to exercising devices.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved exercising device which eliminates the need for platforms and other similar mechanisms and which is a portable device capable of being readily installed and easily stored.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved exercising device which is comparatively easy to manufacture and which consists of economically produced components so as to provide a relatively inexpensive product.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved exercising device capable of being readily positionedin a conventional room in an apartment or home. 'In achieving the above and other of its objectives, the invention contemplates the provision of an exercising device in which use is made of a resiliently loaded member such as a spring loaded pulley to which is attached a belt or cable providing for various exercises as will be discussed. The resiliently loaded member is supported in a portable casing to which is coupled an elongated member such as a rod which is capable of being lengthened or shortened at will. The assembly of the elongated member and the casing is placed intermediate two fixed supports such as a floor and a knob and the length of the elongated member is increased to position the casing firmly in place.

The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exercising device provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates the exercising device of Figure 1 in position for use, the figure illustrating an operator using the exercising device in two of the very many possibilities of use for said device; and

Figure 3 illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of the casing and resiliently loaded member.

In the drawing, an exercising device is illustrated which includes a resiliently loaded member or pulley 10 rotatable upon an axle 12 accommodated in a casing '14. The pulley 10 is spring loaded by means of a spiral spring 16 affixed at one end 18 to the axle 12 or the casing 14, and at its other end 20 to the pulley or roller 10.

The casing 14 consists of a circular housing portion 22 connected with a base portion 24 at the bottom of which is alfixed by welding, or otherwise, a base member 26. At the bottom of base member 26 is attached a friction pad 28 which may also be a resilient member. The friction pad 28 may be of rubber or other similar material and the casing may be of aluminum or steel and so forth.

Attached to the pulley 10 is a strap or cable 30 which may be, for example, of flexible steel, nylon, cotton webbing or cotton rope. The member 30 is looped at end 32 to accommodate a handle 34. It will readily be appreciated that the strap 30 can be manipulated with respect to an opening 36 in the casing 14 which opening is pro- Patented Sept.- 6, 1960 vided with beaded edges 38 and 40 which prevent wear of the member 30.

Pivotally connected to the axle 12 is a U -shaped bracket 42 which straddles the casing 14. A neck 44 is attached to the bracket 42 and includes a set screw or pin 46 so that a rodor elongated member 48 may be detachably coupled to the bracket 42. It is -to be noted that the neck 44 may also define a threaded bore which will, in conventional manner, accommodate a threaded end of the rod 48.

The rod 48 is made of two separable sections 50 and 52, these sections having corresponding, threaded ends 54 and 56 which are engaged by a turnbuckle 58. The use of turnbuckle 58 permits the effective length of rod 48 to be lengthened or shortened at will and. the purpose of this will become hereinafter apparent.

The section 50 of the rod 48 is connected to an angularly disposed portion 60, the section 50 making an angle of substantially 60 with a horizontal plane. The section 52 has, at-its free end, a U-shaped bracket 62 which is intended to engage the neck portion 64 of a knob 66, The base flange 68 of knob 66 is provided with apertures 70 so that the knob 66 can be afiixed to a wall or other supporting member and thus constitute a fixed member or reference for the exercising device.

Alternative to the provision of a knob 66 as a separate member constituting a part of the device, the knob 66 can be a conventional door knob such as indicated in Figure 2 as being attached to a conventional door 72 in a room. This simplifies the provisions which have to be made for purposes of installing an exercising device provided in accordance with the invention inasmuch as no separate knob need be fixed to any support and, further, in that when the casing 14 and the rod 48 are removed from a conventional door knob no further piece of equipment need be removed or stored.

In Figure 2 an operator or exerciser is shown using an exercising device provided in accordance with the invention in two of its very many possibilities of use. For example, the operator shown in full lines and in upright position is shown using the device with the strap 30 in a vertical position. More specifically, in. using this device in this position the handle 34 attached to the strap 30 is grasped in the hand of the operator and the handle is worked outwardly from the casing 14 against the tension of the spring 16, the force of which is generally and preferably approximately 7 pounds.

Alternatively the device may be used as indicated for the operator shown in chain lines, wherein the operator is in reclining position and the handle 34 is grasped in both hands of the operator who then performs what is known as sitting up exercises.

From what has been stated above, it will be obvious that the various exercises which can be performed with the use of the illustrated device include those exercises in which the strap 30 is disposed at various angles -to the horizontal and vertical and that the device thus has many possibilities of use.

Preferably, the rod 48 is engaged with the knob 66 so that the rod 48 is in a vertical position. The section 60 of the rod 48 is angularly disposed with respect to the remainder of the rod so that when the turnbuckle 58 is manipulated to increase the length of the rod, the force exerted through the length of the rod is divided into its different vectors. The provision of the angular section 60 is such as to moreover facilitate the accommodating of the casing 14 adjacent to the door 72 or other vertical wall with the rod 48 in its vertical disposition.

The friction pad 28 at the bottom of the casing 14 is provided so that the casing 14 can be firmly positioned on comparatively slippery surfaces and it has been found that the horizontal components of the force acting on the to the lengthening of the rod 48 is readily overcome by the friction of pad 28. It is to be noted, however, that, if desired, the casing 14 can be permanently set intoposition by means of screws or like devices which are passed throughapertures 74..

It is further to be noted that, if desired, the bracket 62 can be pivotally connected with the section 52 of the rod 48 in such a manner that the rod 48 can be positioned at an angle with respect to the vertical. This provision is readily efiected by means of connecting the bracket 62 to the section 52 by means of a ball and socket joint.

In summary, it will be noted that the invention is based upon a new and different principle whicheliminates entirely the need for a platform on which the actual operating mechanism need be positioned. The invention achieves its purpose by providing a housing for a resiliently loaded member which housing is employed in cooperation with an elongated member whose length is capable of being adjusted between two reference supports, the housing being firmly positioned against one of the supports by the increasing of the length of said elongated member.

There will now be obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications and variations of the structure set forth which modifications and variations do not depart essentially from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims. For example, it will be readily appreciated that the casing need not be a closed casing as long as it performs its supporting function and that the casing can include a collapsible section which facili- 'tates a disengagement of the device from between the knob and floor or other supports.

What is claimed is:

1. An exercising device adapted for being positioned between a floor and a member fixed relative to said floor, said device comprising a support, a spring-loaded pulley on said support, a belt adapted to be wound on said pulley, a handle on said belt adapted to be g asped by an operator, friction means on said support and adapted for frictionally engaging said floor, a first rod section connected to said support, a second rod section, means rigidly connecting said sections and constituting therewith a rod of adjustable length, and a bracket on said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 434,771 Dowd Aug. 19, 1890 1,762,740 Rains June 10, 1930 2,131,570 Riley Sept. 27, 1938 2,725,210 Swartz Nov. 29, 1955 

